Qualification for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup is well and truly heating up. Thirteen teams have participated in the ICC CWC Super League to earn a spot in the next 50-over World Cup. The top seven teams in the points standings and the host of the 13th edition of the ODI World Cup, India, will automatically advance to the main event. As the qualifier competition is nearing its end, three full members—West Indies, Sri Lanka, and South Africa—are in danger of missing out on direct qualification. Let’s take a look at the complete World Cup qualification scenario.
Which teams are in a strong position in the ICC CWC Super League?
With less than one third of the fixtures left in the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League 2020-2023, the points table has nicely shaped up to understand which teams are in a better position to qualify for the main event.
Reigning champions, England became the first team to secure a place in the World Cup 2023 with 125 points in 18 matches. Bangladesh and Pakistan are in second and third place, respectively, with 120 points each. Both teams are one win away from booking their place in the main event. With six matches left for Bangladesh and Pakistan, respectively, their places in the next World Cup are all but assured. However, they may not need to win any more matches if the bottom-placed teams continue to lose points.
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New Zealand and Afghanistan are in very strong positions as well in the ICC CWC Super League points table. The Blackcaps are in fourth position with 110 points, followed by the Afghan side in fifth position with 100 points. With both teams having 12 matches left each, their route to World Cup qualification is clear.
The tournament host, India, are in sixth position with 99 points. India will likely be in fifth place if they whitewash Zimbabwe in the ongoing 3-match series. The Indian side will finish in the top half of the standings as they have six matches left.
West Indies, the two-time World Cup champions, are in seventh place with 90 points. The Caribbean side completed their allotted matches and they are in serious danger of missing out on direct qualification. Australia are in eighth position at the moment with 70 points, but they have 12 matches in hand to secure a direct World Cup berth. Ireland, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the Netherlands are in the bottom half of the points table.
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Points standings of the 2020-2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League (as on August 21, 2022)
Team
Matches
Won
Lost
Points
England
18
12
5
125
Bangladesh
18
12
6
120
Pakistan
18
12
6
120
New Zealand
12
11
1
110
Afghanistan
12
10
2
100
India (Q)
14
10
4
99
West Indies
24
9
15
90
Australia
12
7
5
70
Ireland
21
6
13
68
Sri Lanka
18
6
11
62
South Africa
13
4
7
49
Zimbabwe
17
3
13
35
Netherlands
19
2
16
25
Source: https://www.icc-cricket.com/cricket-world-cup-super-league/standings
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Who among the West Indies, Sri Lanka, and South Africa have a better chance to qualify?
In the current point standings scenario, the West Indies team is most likely to miss out on direct qualification. They have no remaining matches and only a 20-point lead over the eighth-placed Australian team. The Aussie side will surely topple the Caribbean team in their upcoming fixture against Zimbabwe.
Ireland are in ninth position with 68 points, and they have three matches left against Bangladesh. Ireland must defeat Bangladesh in order to surpass the West Indies in the standings, which is highly unlikely.
However, Sri Lanka are in a better position to surpass the West Indies. They have 62 points and six matches in hand. With 60 points up for grabs, winning the remaining matches will most certainly guarantee a World Cup berth for the Lankan side.
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South Africa, on the other hand, have eight matches in hand and they are currently in eleventh position with only 49 points. They gave a walkover to Australia and lost thirty valuable points without playing the matches. The Proteas side can reach 129 points if they win their remaining fixtures.
It seems the West Indies are most likely to miss out on finishing in the top eight in the points table. On the other hand, Sri Lanka and South Africa will battle it out till the end to finish in the top eight to earn a place in the next World Cup.
West Indies’ remaining series: None
Sri Lanka’s remaining series: Afghanistan (3 matches), New Zealand (3 matches)
South Africa’s remaining series: England (3 matches), India (3 matches), Netherlands (2 matches).
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Aftermath
The West Indies and Sri Lanka are former World Cup champions, while South Africa are one of the best teams in the world. Failing to qualify for the World Cup 2023 through direct qualification will be a major blow for top cricketing nations like the West Indies, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. Each of these three sides has a significant risk of finishing outside the top eight teams given the ICC CWC Super League’s current standings.
Source: United News of Bangladesh